Celebrating Sardinia

2018: April 13–222019: April 26–May 5

​How does it feel to be part of a six-centuries old celebration? Come to Sardinia for the feast of their patron Saint Antioco and find out. You’ll be immersed in the living history of Sardinian food and culture as folk dancers, musicians and horsemen in traditional dress converge on the town of Sant’Antioco for two days of street parties. After the party, you’ll discover the simplicity of pecorino cheese, gleaming salt pans, locally caught fish and knee-high grapevines coexisting with the intricate mysteries of layers of civilisation from the Bronze Age nuraghi to colonisers from Phoenicia, Carthage, Rome, Spain and Genoa, all of whom left their mark on the island’s cuisine. A relaxing exploration of a little-known corner of Sardinia and its warm, open-hearted people. Really small group: 8 people.

Pick up at meeting point (Cagliari Elmas airport). One pick up only to coincide as nearly as possible with everyone’s arrival time, aiming at around 2.30 or 3 pm. Transfer to Agriturismo Sa Ruscitta on the Island of Sant’Antioco, at the southwest corner of Sardinia. Introduction to tour and welcome dinner at Sa Ruscitta.

Accommodation: Sa Ruscitta, Sant’Antioco | Meals: dinner

Day 2: Saturday

Simonetta and Stefano turn up to introduce you to native Sardinian costumes and the launeddas, a set of pipes originating at least 3500 years ago and resembling Northumbrian pipes without the bag. See what you think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc6j2bAq8sU. Lunch at Sa Ruscitta, after which our driver Massimo, always eager to please, takes us to town (also named Sant’Antioco) for the grand opening of the 659th Festa of Sant’Antioco, the patron saint of Sardinia. First Massimo will give us an orientation tour of his home town so later you can wander on your own if you like. Now the first of many processions, the pilgrimage and offering of ‘Is coccois’, the elaborately decorated sacred bread. We sample the street food before the evening’s entertainment in the piazzas of the town.

Accommodation: Sa Ruscitta, Sant’Antioco | Meals: breakfast, lunch

Day 3: Sunday

This morning we go to town for the grand procession of men, women and children from towns and villages throughout Sardinia. We witness an event that is part solemn religious festival, part social gathering, part fashion show of regional costumes, part bravura performance on the launeddas and concertina. After lunch in a trendy cafe, we gather for a tournament of skilled cavalieri performing bravura feats on horseback. and theatrical performances in the piazzas of the town. Dinner at a craft brewery: beer tasting and pizza.

It takes stamina to celebrate. We still have one more evening to go. But this morning we take a break to visit shepherd Giulio, who makes the famed pecorino sardo. You watch the whole process and by the end you'll have a new appreciation of how liquid milk turns into solid cheese, and how ricotta emerges from the whey. Now it's time to relax around the family table and enjoy the lunch Giulio and his son have prepared for you. In the afternoon we visit the tofet, a graveyard where Phoenicians and Carthaginians buried cremated infants in pots. Child sacrifice or high infant mortality? The history of Sant’Antioco and much of Sardinia is revealed in the excellent museum next door. The culmination of the festival starts in the early evening with another solemn procession, again of proud villagers in regional costumes, but this time they ride in beautifully decorated ox carts. A spectacular fireworks display brings the festival to a close.

​After all that riotous celebrating we’ll be craving some peace and quiet. The old mediaeval town of Tratalias was abandoned due to unforeseen water seepage after a dam was built on the Rio Palmas in 1954. The new town, built on a slight rise, is perhaps the ugliest I’ve ever seen in Italy. Fortunately, the old town has been restored and an enterprising group of craftspeople have ingeniously inserted their workshops into the former houses. With the potter you'll learn three simple techniques of fashioning clay objects, and will make something to take home with you. We'll also visit a weaver of linen and wool, a knife maker, a woman who makes the traditional painted shawls of Tratalias and two people who use wild aromatic plants to produce natural cosmetics and paintings. Among the extracts is oil of lentisco, a close relative of the pistacchio. The romanesque church is also worth a look-in. Lunch and guided wine tasting with a sommelier at a nearby agriturismo, after which we return to Sa Ruscitta for a restful late afternoon and dinner.

Today we have the unique experience of living the life of a professional fisherman. Aboard the Pintus family boat, you follow the course of the dolphins along the coastline of Sulcis and the islands of Sant’Antioco and San Pietro. From fisherman Mauro you’ll learn about the fish and the coast you’re passing and can participate in drawing up the nets. You’ll feel the excitement and trepidation of discovering what emerges from the sea. Mauro's wife Roberta offers you a fabulous lunch cooked on board from the day’s catch. After lunch Mauro reaches for his guitar and he and Roberta serenade us with Sardinian songs. Back in at the port, we visit the cooperative fish canning plant that the fishermen's wives run.

Rita Fois learned to make bread from her grandmother and mother. She comes to Sa Ruscitta to give us a lesson. You learn to make the dough and to shape it into various traditional shapes. While it's rising Rita shows us how to make a hybrid between bread, pizza and pie with tomatoes and olives which you'll for sure want to make when you get home. When it's all baked in the wood-fired oven, we're ready to devour it for lunch. After a much needed siesta, our driver Massimo, who is also a forest ranger, takes us for a tour to show us some of his favourite spots on the island including the nuragic complex Grutti Acqua and the Giants' Tomb. Dinner in the fishing town of Calasetta.

Free morning at Sa Ruscitta or walk to the beach. Then we're off to the cooperative winery for a tour where you learn how the French wine market impacted winemaking in Sant'Antioco and get to taste wine made from the Carignano grape. Salt is fundamental to our cooking and yet we hardly ever think about where it comes from and how it gets to our table. During our guided tour of the salt pans of Sant’Antioco all will be explained. The salt pans are also home to many birds including the stately flamingo. Dinner at a favourite restaurant in town.

We pack our bags and bid farewell to Valeria and her husband at Sa Ruscitta, and Massimo takes us to Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia. We visit the central market, San Benedetto, overflowing with meat, fish, cheese, bread, fruit and vegetables. Carla Sanjust’s ancestors were Spanish aristocrats who came to Cagliari when Spain conquered Sardinia in the 18th century. Cagliari is in her blood and she makes a knowledgeable guide to the historic centre of the city. Our farewell dinner takes place in the cool cavern of Sa Piola restaurant where Rossana and Giuseppe present us with a superb tasting menu based on local seasonal ingredients.

After breakfast, transfer to Cagliari airport. One transfer will be provided no earlier than 9.00 am (allow 15 minutes to get to the airport plus check in and boarding time). If you need to travel earlier, a taxi can be arranged at your own expense (about €25) or you can take the train (the station is 4 minutes' walk from the hotel.

​Erica Jarman​​​Following Heather’s careers as archaeologist, orchestra and artist manager and chef, she Italianised her name to Erica and came to Lucca to pursue her passion for traditional artisan food. Her tours, inspired by her infectious curiosity, open captivating new worlds to her guests. Her archaeological research into the early history of agriculture and the function of neolithic megaliths make her the perfect guide for this tour.

​​Agriturismo Sa Ruscitta, Island of Sant'Antioco

Owner Valeria Lusci is at least the fourth generation of her family to farm the rolling hills at Sa Ruscitta. The gleaming white-washed buildings house spacious bedrooms and apartments, a communal sitting room and breakfast room where Valeria serves homemade bread and cakes. Wifi zone. On-site restaurant. Peaceful and relaxing. agriturismosaruscitta.com/

Local ground transportation for 10 days (includes one group transfer between meeting point and accommodation and one return after the tour). Please check with us before you book your travel to make sure it fits the tour schedule. Transfers at times other than those provided for the group will be at your own expense.

Daily continental breakfast, 8 lunches, 8 dinners

Guided visits and workshops with artisans, entrance fees

Does not include

Airfares

Travel and cancellation insurance (compulsory)

Wine and drinks other than those served with meals, additional meals

Personal expenses

Meeting point

Cagliari Elmas airport, Sardinia (there are low-cost flights to Cagliari airport from international hubs outside Italy and from Rome and Milan among others)

If you are flying from outside Europe, we suggest you arrive a couple of days early to recover from jet lag so you can fully enjoy your time with us. We are happy to advise about where to stay and eat and what to do before and after your tour.

Departure point

​Cagliari Elmas airport, Sardinia. One transfer will be provided no earlier than 9.00 am (allow 15 minutes to get to the airport plus check in and boarding time). If you need to travel earlier, a taxi can be arranged at your own expense (about €25) or you can take the train (the station is 4 minutes' walk from the hotel.

Diet

Most dietary requirements can be accommodated as long as you tell us in advance. There is a space on the Booking Form for this information. Since menus are heavily fish-based, if you don’t eat fish, you may not get full enjoyment from the tour.

Physical fitness

You must be fit enough to walk on level ground and stand during guided tours. We can drive you fairly close to most activities.

Thank you again for the wonderful trip to Sant’Antioco! It was great from so many perspectives. The people we spent time with—making cheese, going fishing, baking bread, doing ceramics—made it much more engaging. Culture, history, food, landscape, laughter and song—all beautiful.​Claudia Conlon, USA, Celebrating Sardinia, April 2017